G’Day World “On The Pod” #41 – Darren Rowse

I had breakfast this morning with Mr Problogger himself, Darren Rowse. Darren is one of the highest earning professional bloggers out there. In May 2005 he made $10,000 from Google Adsense in a single month (and, yes, he shouted breakfast!!!)! He’s also the guy behind the following blogs:
ProBlogger
Digital Photography Blog
LivingRoom

As you’ll hear in the interview, Darren’s a former Baptist minister and a really nice bloke. And I’m not just saying that because he bought brekky! It’s great to see a Melbourne boy showing the rest of the world that you can make a living out of blogging and still be a nice guy!

Darren Rowse 1

Darren Rowse 2

UPDATE: Darren tells me he actually made $14500 in May!

G’Day World “On The Pod” #40 – Frank Barnako

Welcome to the long-awaited interview with Mr Marketwatch himself – the inimitable Frank Barnako!

We originally recorded an interview with Frank Jr back in March but the recording got screwed up beyond belief, but Frank was generous enough to give us a re-match. We chat with Frank about his career (although we didn’t get into much of his past successes on this show… we got a lot more info on the 1st try… we’ll have to get him on again… ) at Marketwatch and about his perspective on podcasting. Frank’s been in journalism and radio for ages, so he’s got some wisdom, baby! Despite what some have said, Frank does indeed “get” it. As he responded to Doug Kaye recently:

I come to praise podcasts. Not bury them.

Here’s his mini-bio:

Frank Barnako has co-founded three Internet ventures, including CBS MarketWatch.com where he’s managed the company’s Washington unit and launched the company’s radio network four years ago. The Network provides newscasts twice an hour, seven days a week to 240 stations, making it the largest business radio network in the U.S. Affiliates include WTOP Washington, WINS New York and WBBM Chicago.

He is also the editor of Internet Daily, the oldest column about the business of the Internet, which he has written since 1996. A daily audio version of the column is also distributed by the CBS Radio network.

Prior to his involvement with the Internet, Barnako had careers in radio and television broadcasting and management.

Simultaneously, he has indulged entrepreneurial instincts by launching a number of businesses. He has lived in Great Falls, Va. since 1975. Frank is married to Donna, an internationally known textile and jewelry designer.

Thanks again to Frank for giving us his time and I hope you all enjoy the show!
And thanks to Mick for making it to the studio on time! 🙂

G’Day World “On The Pod” #39 – Anthony Joseph

Hey Folks! I’m very excited about this show, even more excited than usual. This week I’ve got an interview with my good mate Anthony Joseph! Now, Anthony, or AJ as he’s known by his many friends, was a colleague of mine at Microsoft. He worked there 15 years in all and was highly respected by everyone – especially by his customers. AJ was one of the most experienced account managers at Microsoft and had a string of “firsts” to his name – not just with Microsoft in Australia, but with Microsoft worldwide. For example, the very first “Enterprise Agreement” Microsoft ever sold was one AJ structured with our largest telco in Australia. He was also the first person in Australia to take the entire Board of Directors of a leading Aussie company (our largest retailer) over to Redmond for a sit-down with the bosses. Now, when you realize it’s a 24 hour journey from Melbourne to Redmond, you may appreciate what kind of an event that is.

Anyway, in his last couple of years at Microsoft, AJ lead the development of a consultative sales program called the ‘i360″ which was a world first and has had a significant impact on the way Microsoft account teams can add value to their enterprise customers. AJ has since retired from Microsoft and is in the process of writing a book on his sales process.

He is also – get this – one of the co-founders and a director of a Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Melbourne which was opened by the Dalai Lama a couple of years ago, a long-term practicioner of yoga, and attended an experimental secondary school in Melbourne called “ERA” where he practically NEVER attended class.

These stories and more on this show.